Ticket issuing machine



Aug. 2, 1938. R. H. HELsEL 2,125,443

I TICKET ISSUING MACHINE Original Filed April lO, 1935 @w f Hman A////e/Je/ f Zjyf Patented Aug. 2, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TICKET ISSUNG MACHINE Reuben Helsel, Long Island City, N. Y., as-

signor to General Register Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Pennsylvania 4 Claims.

This invention relates to ticket issuing machines and, more particularly, to machines for issuing tickets or checks for theaters, restaurants, amusements, railways, buses and the like.

This application is a division of my application Serial No, 665,386, iled April 10, 1933, upon which Patent No. 2,697,485 was granted on Nov. 2, 1937 and which is in turn, in part, a continuation of my application Serial No. 620,091, led June 30, 1932 upon which Patent No. 2,041,831 was granted on May 26, 1936.

This divisional application relates primarily to the devices for handling the ticket strip for printing, severance and discharge. One object of the invention is to provide means for insuring the proper alignment of a ticket strip when severance thereof occurs.

Ticket issuing machines are generally subject to much abuse, particularly in the nature of failure to keep the mechanism properly clean and free from the lint and dust resulting from the severance of ticket stock for the issuance of individual tickets. As a result of the fact that certain parts may become choked by dirt accumulated by reason of neglect, it is undesirable to leave important operations of the machine to the efiicacy of springs. This is particularly true of the severing device for cutting the ticket strip to issue separate tickets or strips thereof. In the present mechanism positive means are provided for moving the severing device positively in both its operating and retracting movements, lThe mechanism for accomplishing this is such as to properly operate a moving knife, although the knife is carried Within a rotating cylinder.

In connection with the severing means, there is provided an arrangement which, in accordance with a further object of the invention, may be readily changed to secure the severance of a strip, so that either individual tickets may be issued or a plurality of tickets may be issued in the form of a strip.

Still another object of the invention is concerned with the provision of elements whereby the tickets are ejected from the machine with sufficient velocity to carry them freely upon the top plate of the housing, so that they may be picked up by a purchaser, who need not pull them s from the machine. The mechanism for doing this, however, is subject to modication, so that, when the machine is transferred into the type adapted to issue, say, restaurant checks whenever one is removed, the tickets will not be ejected, but will remain held so as to control a device for (Cl. lOl-227) automatically starting the machine when the presented check is removed.

Inconjunction with the aligning device which insures that cutting of the ticket strip takes place in proper fashion and also insures that printing is accomplished on a partially printed ticket in proper relationship to the printing already thereon, means are provided, in accordance with the present invention, for making adjustments for the proper handling of various sizes of stock and also for the issuance of different sizes of tickets. Adjustable lateral guides serve to secure a proper positioning of stocks of varying widths, while the adjustment of the longitudinal aligning means provides for the issuance of tick-ets of varying lengths or the issuance of double tickets where, for example, it is necessary to issue not only a single ticket, but also one or more coupons. In such cases, the machine is readily adapted by a change of the printing cylinder to number such movable tickets a plurality of times or print thereon a plurality of indications of the time of issue or the like.

Only the above objects of the invention are enumerated because they are related to the subject-matter of this divisional application. Reference may be made to the parent application for a more complete indication of the objects of the invention, and also for details of construction. The subject-matter to which this divisional application relates will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which the figure is a vertical section of a unit taken transversely to the driving shaft and showing the parts primarily involved in the handling and severing of the ticket strip.

The reference characters used on the drawing are the same as those used in the parent application, to which reference may be made for other details of the machin-e.

The various elements of each unit are supported by suitable frame plates, indicated at 2. The units are adapted to be set into operation to issue one or more tickets, either by withdrawal of a ticket or by the manipulation of suitable keys which determine the number of tickets to be issued and also serve to energize a driving motor. A motor 66, common to a plurality of units, is provided with a pinion 9U engaging a gear 92 iixed to a shaft 94 to which are secured a plurality of pinions 96, one corresponding to each of the associated units. Each of the units contains a gear 98 which may be dropped into mesh with the corresponding gear 96 when the units are dition, the gear 68 is not clutched with the mechanism of the unit. Accordingly, even if the gear 98 of an inactive unit is rotated by reason of the operation of another unit, this rotation takes place idly, the cam le@ being at thistime out of engagement with any follower, as will be evident hereafter. The gear 98 may be clutched to drive the mechanism by the devices indicated in the drawing. The face of the gear 98 is provided with a clutch member having a cam-like internal surface provided with sockets, indicated at |166. To insure more immediate clutching and more rapid starting of the machine, a plurality of sockets arev preferably provided, this number being, in the present instance three, so that the gear 98 need makeno Amore than one-third of a revolution prior tti-engagement of the clutch. A second hub journalled on theflxed shaft |62 carries a plate onY which is pivoted a lever |66, having ahead ils engageable with a `cam surface formed at the end of a lever ||6, also pivoted to the plate.

A spring- E8 normally urges the head i la of the lever |68 in such direction'as to tend to cam the lever l I6 outwardly and thereby cause the pin |22, carried by the lever i6, to engage within one of the sockets |66. The spring ||8 is sufficiently strong to accomplishl this whenever the lever |66 is free to move in a clockwise direction, as viewed in -the figure. If movement does occur, tending to engage the pin |22 within oneof the sockets, the head I I4 eventually-moves into a notch |26 at the inner portion of the free end of the lever H6, tending to prevent any movement inwardly even though considerable force may be exerted upon the pin |22. In other words', the mutual actions of |68 and ||6 become of an irreversible nature so that positive clutching is insured. The gear driven'by the clutch meshes with a gear secured to a backing cylinder |i6,'which is journalled in the side plates of the frame.- The last named gear drives the printing cylinder |56 through another4 gear which is secured to the latter. This gearing arrangement is shown in the parent ap'- plication referred to above.

The backing cylinder |46 has slidably mounted in suitable grooves in its ends a movable knife blade |52. This blade is mounted so as to have some freedom of lateral movement at its end which extendsoutwardly of the backing cylinder and is yieldingly urged toward inactive position by a spring |56. The blade |52 is provided with an extension |56. A cooperating xed'blade |56 is .provided in the printing cylinder. Prior to theA time when a cutting stroke of the moving blade |52 occurs, and as the printing cylinder approaches its'final position, the extension |56 is engaged by the xed'blade l 58 and, since the eX- tension `|56 extends radiallyl outward'from 'the center'of rotation of the cylinder |56 beyond vthe top line of the driving gear, the blade |52 will be' given aslight movement in advance of the cylinder |46 'against the tensionV of th'e spring |52, thereby preventing the cutting edge of the movable blade from being dulled by Contact with the xed blade. At the time cutting takes place, the blades' are properly aligned as indicated in thev gure, so that a proper cutting action is effected, the edge of the movable blade moving in the plane of the upper surface of the Xed blade.

In the present machine, the spring 56 does not serve to actuate the blade |52 in either its cutting or retracting movements. The movable blade is positively moved in both directions. The retracting movement is imparted by engagement with an extension of the blade of the lower end of a lever |62Y pivoted at |661 to one end of the backing cylinder and arranged to engage a iiXed pin |68, shortly after initial movement of the cylinder takes place. A light spring |66 holds the lever |61 in engagement with the blade, this spring, however, being too light to move the blade.

The cutting movements of the blade are imparted by a lever |16 pivoted at |12 to the frame and urged in a clockwise direction by a comparatively light spring lli, which also is ineffective to cause movement of theY blade. The lever |10 is provided with a cam following roller |16 engageable with the cainlilll, which is provided withV three lobes, as illustrated, Acorresponding to the three sockets |26 of the clutch. The upper end of the lever |19 is provided with a cam surface |13 which is engageable with a pin I8!) carri-ed by the cylinder M6.

To provide an adjustment for the printing cyl- Y .inder |56 levers |22 are pivoted at points |84 to the side plates of the frame and provide journals for the trunnions of the printing cylinder. These levers |82 are held in adjusted ypositions about their pivots i by screws |66 passing through slots in the levers |62 and clamping them to the side plates. By reasonof this arrangement the approach of the printing cylinder to the backing cylinder` may be adjusted. Y

The printing cylinder carries one or morev replaceable type platesindicated at- |88. In the present instance it also carries a dating head indicated at |96. Y

The ticket strip is led through aguide comprising a bottom plate 261i, a top-plate 26S-and adjustable side guide plates 268 which may be adjusted laterally to take care of various sizes of ticket stock. The top plate 266 is provided with a plurality of tapped holes 216 receiving screws adapted to clamp to the top plate a support 212 on which is pivoted at 214 a lever 216 Yhaving a depending arm, which may be engaged by the nger of an operator for a purpose hereafter described, and an upwardly extending arm to which is pivoted at 213 an engaging nger 286, whose counter-clockwise movement, as viewed in the iigure, relative to lever 216, is limited to engagement with a stop 282 against which it is urged by a spring 2641. By reason of the use of the stop 282, the spring also has a tendency to rotate the spring 216 counter-clockwise, which counterclockwise movement is limited by a stop pin 286.

The finger 266 is-arranged to engage within the holes of a ticket strip whenever the ticket-strip is in its proper position. When the ticket strip is inserted, the iinger 286 may be raised by depression of the backwardly extending end of the lever 216, so that it oifers no frictional resistance to advance of the ticket strip. As the. ticket strip is fed upwardly, if the nger 266 engagesits surface as indicated in construction lines, it acts as a detent, preventing retrograde movement. When I thus provided a denite accurate alignment for the strip. The various tapped holes 210 are provided at such positions that the supportl 212 may occupy three different positions, so that the nger is operable to align strips in which the holes are three different distances apart. If the holes are half these distances apart, it will be obvious that alignment will also be effected so that, with the construction illustrated, tickets of six different sizes may be properly aligned. Specifically, the alignment is necessary before the operation of the knife to sever the strip, the alignment being provided to insure that the severance takes place between tickets along the transverse axes of the openings therein.

A plate 322 is provided with flanges 324 having depressions therein engaging pins 326 which serve for the pivotal support of the plate, the plate beingheld in contact with these pins by spring ears extending from a plate 321 which forms the lower member of the guide for the ticket being discharged. The plate 322 has its downward termination adjacent the zone of closest approach between the two cylinders. A lever 328 has a forked upper end engaging the plate, this lever being pivoted at 333 so that a clockwise movement of the lever serves to move the lower end of the plate 322 toward the printing cylinder |50. The lever 328 is urged in a clockwise direction by a spring 332, its movement being limited by engagement of its laterally extending arm with the periphery of cam 338 secured to the printing cylinder which cam causes the plate 322 to move away from the printing cylinder through the action of lever 328. This arrangement is used to insure a stripping of the ticket from the type cylinder so that it will be properly discharged and will not tend to adhere to the cylinder and be carried around thereby. Since the printing plate, indicated at |88, is depended upon to feed the ticket by clamping the ticket against the surface, preferably a slightly yielding one, of the backing cylinder |45, the plate 322 is moved by the action of spring 332 toward the cylinder |50 just prior to the time the plate |88 moves about to printing position, and is then moved away from the cylinder to permit the plate |88 to pass. It may be pointed out that the feed of a ticket is not continuous, feed only taking place when the ticket is engaged rby type.

A presser roller 340 is arranged to project through an opening in the plate 322 and also through an opening in the plate 321 between flanges rof a roller 310 in case no ticket is in a position such as that illustrated in the figure.

The roller 340 is carried by a stud secured to a lever which is urged by a spring to move the roller 340 toward the left. The movements of the roller are controlled by a cam acting on the lever in a fashion which is clearly described in said parent application but which is of no materiality to the invention claimed herein. The roller 310 is arranged to be driven by spring action in a counter-clockwise direction when a projection 312 carried by its hub 368 is released by a lever 314, a turned end 18 of which may be acted upon by the end 380 of the lever |82 to which reference has already been made. The spring 316 normally urges the lever 314 into position to act as a latch for the projection 312.. Rapid movement of the roller 310 upon its release serves to snap the ticket from the machine.

An inker is provided to ink the various type elements carried by the spring |50. This inker includes a well 384 into which extends a transfer roller 388 adapted to transfer ink to an intermediate roller 392 and thence to an inking roller 334. Assuming that a plurality of tickets are to be issued in a single operation of the machine in the form of a strip so that severance is to occur onlyonce, then the operations involved in connection with the subject-matter claimed herein will be as follows:

As rotation of the backing roller begins, the cam end 389 of lever |52 engages the pin |68 to retract the movable knife |52. The printing plate |88 is first inked and then engages the ticket strip, the uppermost portion of which is approximately at the line of centers of the two cylinders at which line cutting previously took place. Just prior to engagement of the printing plate |83 with the ticket the spring 332 swings the plate 322 toward the cylinder |50 in which position it remains for a short interval, so that as the ticket strip advances it will be stripped from the cylinder 559 and guided toward the exit. vThe plate 322 again moves away from the cylinder |53 before'its position is reached by the advancing end of the type plate |88. As the ticket strip advances because of the clamping engagement of the two cylinders the iinger 283 yields against the tension of the spring 234 to the position illustrated in the construction lines in the figure, permitting the strip to move forward. As the ticket strip moves forward the timing head |98 prints upon the ticket. During the rst revolution the knife actuating lever i1@ is held in its extreme clockwise position by the spring |15. As the end of the first revolution approaches the pin |80 engages the cam head 18 of this lever rocking it counter-clockwise. In the construction of the machine in the form now being described, the spring |14 is weak so that even though it should happen to swing the lever |18 clockwise as soon as the cam Si) clears the cam surface |18 nevertheless it will be ineffective to move the knife to cut the ticket strip because of the greater tension of the spring i5@ which still holds the knife retracted. It is to be noted that there are provided on the cam |04 three lobes corresponding to the three sockets |05 of the clutch. The angular positions of the lobes with respect to the sockets are such that although a lobe will engage the roller after the cam |13 has been v cleared by the pin |33, nevertheless such engagement will only occur after the end |30 of the knife has passed downwardly beyond the position of the cam |13. Accordingly,'even though a lobe will rock the lever |10 in a clockwise direction such movement will occur too late to cause the knife to move in a cutting stroke. in the operation of the machine illustrated if the spring |14 is suiiiciently strong to rock the lever |10 clockwise the engagement of a lobe with |16 may not occur at all since the lever will rock clockwise as soon as the end of the knife |60 clears the cam |18. The spring, however, is not depended upon to provide this action, but is provided primarily only to hold the lever |10 in its extreme clockwise position after it has been moved to this position by the cam |04.

In the meantime, as the initial position is being passed the lever |52 is still in its clockwise position and accordingly it does not engage the latch 314, so that the roller 310 will not be liberated.

After the timing head has disengaged the ticket so that feeding ceases, the ticket strip is in a released cendition, and the action of finger 280 in a hole therein may impart to it a slight retrograde movement serving to align it for t le next printing. A similar action occurs at the end of the last cycle aligning it for cutting.

The same sort of events will occur through subsequent revolutions of the printing cylinder until the last one. At the end of the last revolution the clutch isdisengaged and the motor is deenergized. The cycle of the machine, however, is completed by the overrun of the motor.

As the final position of the rollers is approached the pin |80 again engages the cam |18 and rocks the lever |10 counter-clockwise. As the position of rest is attained the pin itil clears the cam |18 and the movable knife 52 is lined up with respect to the fixed knife l 58. Although the clutch is now disengaged the overrun of the motor will continue to drive the cam MM with the result that one of the lobes of this cam, which has heretofore been rotating with thek other parts, moves around engaging the roller |76 thereby rocking the lever lli] clockwise in a positive fashion and causing the cam |78 to engage the knife |52 moving it positively in its cutting stroke. As the knife |52 advances the lever |2 is moved counterclockwise and as the severing of the strip is flnished the cam shaped upper end 380 of the lever |62 trips the detent 3'l8 releasing the projection 312 so that the roller 3l@ is rapidly rotated in a counter-clockwise direction'by the action 0f its ydriving spring. In the meantime, the roller 34|? will have dropped into contact with. the ticket strip and consequently the two rollers rotate together and the tickets are snapped out of the machine. Normally this machine will not have a ticket located between the rollers 340 and 310, this ticket being merely illustrated in the drawing for the purpose of illustrating the position of the ticket just as it is being issued.

Before the cylinder |53 comes to its initial position following any revolution the ticket strip will have been released by the rearrnost printing surface which, in this case, is that of the dating and timing mechanism. rEhe released strip is then lined up properly by the linger 280 which will have previously been displaced slightly upwardly with its end projecting into a hole in theY strip. Accordingly the strip is lined up between revolutions of the cylinder to insure proper printing and after the last revolution of a cycle to insure cutting at the proper place.

It is usually preferable to sever a series of tickets only after the last has been issued. The machine, however, may be readily moved to sever the tickets and eject them individually. To accomplish this it is enly necessary to provide a relatively weak spring |66 and a strong spring |14, preferably arranged at a more advantageous ang'm than that shown. In such case, the knife Willbe yieldingly moved to cut the ticketl strip upon each revolution of the cylinders irrespective of the operation of the cam |04. Also, in such event, the lever |62 willoperate to trip fthe latch |'|1v with the result thatVV the roller 310 Ywill reject the individual tickets. As an alternative to this, the lobes of the cam IM may be advanced relatively to the sockets IGS so that, while the clutch is engaged, the lever |10 Willbe rocked early enough to actuate the knife at the end of every revolution of the cylinder. i

In the machine as described feeding'of the ticket strip takes place only by contact therewith of the printing plates. IfY it is desired to print and also advance the ticket to an extent in excess of the printing length lateralanges may be provided on the sides of the printing plates and extending beyond their limitations in such positions that, whiie they'will engage the edges of the ticketV strip, they will not be inked and will accordingly function only as feedingmembeI'S ,y

if it is desired to issue preprinted tickets, 'Without any additional printing matter, the ,simplest method of accomplishing thisis nierely'tore'- move the inker leaving in theV machine a printing cylinder carrying a plate. The plate will then serve to feed without printing. Alternatively, feeding flanges can be provided on a special cylinder for advancing the strip without printlng. i 1

It will be clear that numerous variations may be made in specific details Without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: Y f

1. A ticket issuing machine including means for printing a ticket strip, said means including a rotary printing member, a knife mounted for radial movement upon the member, and means for radially moving the knife to sever the strip.

2. A ticket issuing machine including means for feeding and printing a ticket strip,v said means including a plurality of rotary feeding members, one of which carries a printing element, said members being arranged to engage opposite sides of the strip, knives rotatable with the members and adapted to cooperate with each other to sever the strip, one of said knives being mounted for radial movement upon its member, and means for radially moving .the last mentioned knife to effect severing. Y

3. A ticket issuing machine including means` for printing and feeding a ticket strip, means for A severing the strip, and separate means for engag- 

